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Post-Nanowrimo depression...



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Thu May 09, 2013 6:01 am
WordsAreDreams says...



Going through Post-Nanowrimo depression again after participating in Camp Nano. After last November, I wrote about 2 sentences in four months. No joke. It took Camp Nano and a fresh new idea to get me excited about writing again, and now that it's over, I'm struggling to keep writing.
My question is, do you believe in taking a break and letting your creative juices come back together, or is it better to keep slogging through, no matter what?
Keep in mind that when I say break, I don't mean 4 months. More like a month, at the very most.
I'd also appreciate some tips on getting back into the flow of creativity and writing.
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Inheritance Cycle
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Thu May 09, 2013 3:26 pm
EloquentDragon says...



It depends. I am also a post-nano depressant, my story not nearly as hopeful as yours though.

The biggest thing is to not be a perfectionist. Writers are perfectionists, by nature, but writers cannot be perfectionsists when the write, if that makes any sense.

A break is definitely good, but it depends on when you take that break. If you're struggling right now (as am I) you could choose to slog through (as I did)... but be aware that that will probably kill your motivation (yes, that would be me)

Look for a fresh perspective: What isn't working about this? Write what you know, meaning, write what you love and are familiar and comfortable with. Challenge yourself though.

Maybe not a month, maybe 1-2 weeks. Read books if you're stuck, lots of books in the genre you're writing in. Try another medium--- like art and music for inspiration. Hey, it's spring, hang out outdoors (that's how I get a ton of ideas)

YOU have to find what keeps YOU writing. You can't write for someone else---parents, peers, teachers, you have to write for you. Find what originally drew you to this story, identify with that first "spark" and go from there.

Otherwise you'll end up like me, two years on the same book and still not done with act one...
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Thu May 09, 2013 8:13 pm
Rosendorn says...



Yes, I completely believe in taking a break.

For me, the basic idea has to interest me. If nothing interests me, then I leave it alone. Poke at it periodically, try to figure out what would make me interested. I proceed to work on interest alone, and just keep figuring out what'd be cool.

I also try not to force it, because forced work can burn you out if you're not careful. Writing shouldn't be forced. If you want to be writing every day, find what would be interesting or fun to write about. This doesn't work as well if you're writing for work, but I'm going to assume you're not. Even then, you can still find interesting things in stuff you have to produce under pressure.

Whatever works. The words tend to come back if you let them. You just have to recharge, sometimes.
A writer is a world trapped in a person— Victor Hugo

Ink is blood. Paper is bandages. The wounded press books to their heart to know they're not alone.
  








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